Chapter II. The Minister of Orders

THE ordinary minister of Orders is a bishop, who is the only valid minister of the episcopate and priesthood. A priest may receive delegated authority from the Pope to confer minor Orders, and the subdiaconate, and probably also the diaconate. Thus Abbots have power to give minor Order to their own subjects, and Cardinals, if they be priests, may give them to clerics belonging to their titular churches in Rome.

Ecclesiastical law requires that Orders be received only from one’s own bishop, or from another bishop with his leave, which is granted by giving the subject dismissorial letters.

The Code bids a bishop ordain his own subjects unless he is prevented by some good reason.

One’s own bishop, as far as Orders are concerned, is only the bishop of the diocese in which the ordinand has a domicile, together with origin therein, or simply a domicile without origin; but in this latter case the ordinand ought to affirm on oath his intention perpetually to remain in the diocese, unless there is question of promoting a cleric to Orders who has already been incardinated in the diocese by the first tonsure, or of promoting a student who is destined for the service of another diocese in accordance with Canon 969, sec. 2, or of promoting a professed religious, of whom there is question in Canon 964, n. 4 (Can. 956).

By the common law, regulars must be ordained by the bishop in whose diocese their convent is situated, but some have a special privilege of giving dismissorials to their members for ordination by any bishop who is in union with the Holy See. Whenever a bishop holds an ordination outside his own diocese he requires the leave of the bishop of the place to exercise pontifical functions,